About

Médicos del Mundo Spain announces the 30th Luis Valtueña International Humanitarian Photography Award, aimed at recognising and disseminating the best photo series that singularly demonstrate social inequities, injustices and/or human rights abuses, or the situations that either foster or fight them.

By giving this competition the name of the photographer and international cooperant Luis Valtueña, we pay tribute to his memory, as well as to that of the three other cooperants of the association - Flors Sirera, Manuel Madrazo and Mercedes Navarro- who were murdered in Rwanda (1997) and in Bosnia (1995) while carrying out their duties as humanitarian aid workers. It is also our wish to highlight the human values they represent.

For entry requirements or further information, please read the terms and conditions of the call (also available in Spanish and French).

All questions about the contest shall be directed to Médicos del Mundo at: premioluisvaltuena@medicosdelmundo.org

• Spanish contest rules
• French contest rules
• English contest rules

Timeline

• Call opens: Thursday, 30 July 2026.
• Call closes: Sunday, 11 October 2026 (23:59 GMT+2).
• Correction period: October 2026.
• Jury decision: November 2026.
• Award ceremony, exhibition and catalogue publication: 2027.

What the winners receive

1. First prize and overall winner of the Luis Valtueña Award: €6,000.
2. Second, Third and Fourth prizes: €2,000 each.
3. Special prize (€1,500), awarded by the Donostia Human Rights Film Festival, recognising a single photograph chosen from among the four winning series, which will become the official image of the festival's 2027 edition.
4. Winners receive a plaque.
5. Participation in the annual, itinerant exhibition produced by Médicos del Mundo, with a special presence at the Asturias International Photojournalism Meeting.
6. Publication of the photo series in the exhibition catalogue, available in Spanish, English, and French. Each author receives five copies.
7. Publication in the online collection on the Premio Luis Valtueña website.
8. Travel and accommodation (two nights) to attend the Luis Valtueña International Award ceremony and the exhibition opening in 2027 in Madrid.
9. Press release and newsletter announcement to the Médicos del Mundo community. Winners are often featured in major publications in Spain.

About Médicos del Mundo

Médicos del Mundo is an independent NGO, with no political or religious affiliation, working to guarantee everyone's right to health and a dignified life. We bring together healthcare professionals and volunteers who work side by side to achieve universal, fair access to health, and we speak out whenever this right is violated.

We support documentary photography and photojournalism as a way to raise public awareness of social issues, while encouraging citizen participation and helping to eradicate the worst of all diseases: injustice.

Judging criteria

The submitted images must narrate a story related to one of these topics: health, humanitarian action, international cooperation, emergencies, social exclusion, migration, refuge, conflict, inequality, or human rights violations. Special attention will be paid to stories that receive little visibility or public coverage.

The Jury of the Luis Valtueña International Humanitarian Photography Award will look for projects that, beyond their thematic relevance or denouncing character, stand out for photographic quality, the relevance of the story told, the ethical approach, and the work's capacity to raise awareness. In the end, it should be a compelling and cohesive documentary photo series.

At least 50% of the total series must have been produced between 2025 and 2026, and must not have been submitted to previous editions of the award. Each participant — whether an individual or a collective of two or more members — may submit only one entry. All submissions will be judged anonymously by a blind jury method.